Epitaph
by ArkanianHyde
Summary: The irony was that he, who needed a name to kill, died nameless. He, who set out to be known by the world, died, ultimately forgotten. He changed his world, but the world continued without him.


_**Anime/Manga:**_ - Death Note

_**Character(s)**_: - Tota Matsuda

_**Disclaimer**_: - I hold no rights to _Death Note. _

_**Title**_: - Epitaph

_**Summary**_: -The irony was that he, who needed a name to kill, died nameless. He, who set out to be known by the world, died, ultimately forgotten. He changed his world, but the world continued without him.

0o0o0

At 2:05p.m., on the 28th of January, 2020, Tota Matsuda sat cross-legged on the grass staring unseeingly at the simple stone marker before him. The inscription, unlike the grave next to it, did not give a detailed epitaph of the deceased, but simply presented a name, which no longer meant anything in this conscious world. As usual, he had placed incense before it and offered a prayer for the one buried, that he would spend eternity in Heaven. He knew it would not make a difference anyway. The rules of the Death Note stated that users of the Note could go to neither Heaven nor Hell. And Light Yagami had used it regularly for years.

Matsuda laid the single carnation on the grass before the marker and sighed, tracing the characters of the name before him. L had been right after all. Light Yagami was the Kira that had struck both fear and hope into the hearts of the Japanese population (many of which stopped at Kira's command). He was a proclaimed genius, who had once helped the police in difficult cases. He was described as number one ranking in academia, was top of his class at To-oh University, a first choice University in Japan, and was known for his athletic skills in tennis. And yet he sought for something more. And so, after testing and experimenting, he reached for knowledge of the Note, and acted on it and manipulated the rules for his own exploits. He had created a name for himself; or rather the world had created it for him, admiring and encouraging his actions from the very beginning, even going so far as to call him a god.

Maybe there was something in it. _God_ was in his name, wasn't it? .

Japan had willingly him given a kingdom, _("_Kira's Kingdom, _every night at 6:30 on Sakura TV, don't miss it!")_ created after his judgments had begun to rid the world of the evil that caused it to rot. Hehad ruled with a firm hand, killing those who defied the actions of this new god, this True God. And his subjects risked everything to serve him. Misa-Misa, Taki-san and Mikami were prime examples of this.

Still, for all the ministrations of his followers, Light was nowhere near becoming a god. He was simply human, a mere mortal- a fact that he seemed to have forgotten. His power came from a Shinigami, a death god. And even those beings were limited in what they could and could not do. When considering this, one had to wonder how Light believed that he could become a god, when given access to such seemingly unstoppable, but truthfully stunted power.

The irony, Matsuda thought, was that he, who needed a name to kill, died nameless, save for the ones present back then exactly seven years ago today. He, who set out to be known by the world, died, ultimately forgotten. He changed his world, but the world continued without him. Indeed, two months after the disappearance of their savior, the world resumed the routines of its pre-Kira state. It was as if Kira never existed. The world is a fickle place, with a population as picky as a spoiled child who had been given his own way for so long. It was quite willing to give up whatever toy that no longer worked nor amused it. Unfortunately, Light-Kira had been victim to his own world, whose tastes changed quickly and easily. And besides, who needed a god who was so weak? Kira had been weak after all. In his final moments, Kira cried. Kira begged for his followers whom he had thoughtlessly used and killed. He was no longer a god. He was never a god. Nor was he human. He had been reduced to nothing more than a feral animal to be hunted and killed.

Matsuda rose and dusted the dirt from his pants, and gave a formal bow. The world may not remember Light Yagami, nor acknowledge that such a man existed. Kira may have died without an identity, but Matsuda made it his duty to remember him, to hold him protectively in his heart, despite his betrayal, since no one else would, nor did they want to.

Yes, Matsuda would remember him the way he was before he died.

Brother of Sayu Yagami (kidnapped and held hostage by the Mafia under Mello, for the Death Note. The trauma had left her mute and unconscious of the world around her). Son of Soichiro Yagami (deceased. Former Deputy Chief of the NPA. Killed in the line of duty while investigating Kira. Sadly, the man, like the rest of the task force had been deceived to the end, fully believing that his son was as innocent as he knew him to be.) Son of Sachiko Yagami (God alone knows the extent of the effects of having her family fall before her because of Kira. By the time of Light's death, she was unaware that the one who caused her such pain was her own son.)

Top student of To-oh, brightest in his class in high school and nationwide, popular, and well loved. He was aware of his surroundings, aware of the evil that lurked in his world and was idealistic enough to want to combat it. In fact, he had his sights set on working alongside his father for a few years in the NPA, before the elder Yagami's retirement. He would rid the world of those who caused it to rot. As Kira he had managed to do just that. Matsuda had confessed the truth of this in the beginning. However, Light's ideals of creating a better world became distorted, merely a satire of the pure ideals he had had before the Note came into the world. Light had often complained that L had been rather childish, but so was he. L, himself, had stated that so long ago. Only someone as childish as Light-Kira could still think that his actions were not evil, but were good. His actions protected the innocent, saving them from the cruel hands of whom he deemed to be criminals.

He was Light Yagami, friend of Ryuga Hideki. He was Light Asahi, esteemed colleague of Ryuzaki, who led the Kira Taskforce. He was Kira, Rival of L, whom he had killed in order to have his own form of Justice realized. He was Kira, who struck fear in the hearts of the Japanese people, who restricted their actions should their deeds and names be known to the one who killed the evil ones of the world. He was a martyr who risked his own soul for the souls of many. He was the bored judge handing out crucifixions to the world when the peace was the least bit threatened. He was the hope of the world. He was the bane of its very existence. He was held in reverence. He was forgotten. He was a man who had once lived. He was nothing more than a name of a grave marker.

He was the man whom Tota Matsuda had admired, whom he had hated and whom he had come to pity.

He was Kira.

He was Light Yagami.

0o0o0

_**A/N:-**_ Just figured I'd give a Matsu-centric fic a shot. reviews and comments appreciated.


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